Calling all pattern designers! I’m super excited to announce that I am launching a pattern bundle site that sells time-limited collections of .PDF patterns, in the manner of Humble Bundle and similar sites. I’m looking for contributors — independent pattern designers and small publishers who want to reach a new audience for their sewing, quilting, appliqué, knitting, crochet, and cosplay patterns.

I’m partnering with the Bundle of Holding (www.bundleofholding.com), a long-established site that sells tabletop roleplaying game ebooks. Since 2013 the Bundle of Holding has presented more than 400 offers comprising 3,000+ titles from over 235 small RPG publishers; 60,000 gamers have purchased 300,000 bundles. The site has raised more than US$645,000 for dozens of charities.

Like the Bundle of Holding, each offer on my pattern site presents a curated collection of DRM-free .PDFs. The customer pays a set minimum price to get the “starter” pattern bundle and can opt to pay more that the current threshold (average) price to receive an additional collection of “bonus” patterns. A typical offer runs for three weeks.

If you would like more information about participating in this, please email me at keepitthimble at gmail dot com.

The North Carolina Museum of History has a wonderful exhibit called QuiltSpeak: Uncovering Women’s Voices through Quilts that will be there until early March 2020. There are some stunning quilts on display, so if you are in the Raleigh area, you will definitely want to check it out.

The exhibit features about 40 quilts, along with a story of the woman who created it. Here’s a few pictures to give you and idea of the type of craftsmanship on display.

These cute sewing machine ornaments at the NC Museum of History — the perfect decoration for any seamstress! If you’re not in NC, you can order one of these online at Target.

The museum currently has a large exhibit called Quilt Speak that is exhibiting there until early March 2020. I will be writing up a longer blog post this weekend about my experience at the exhibit. There were truly some amazing quilts on display!

I finally learned how to use my Silhouette Cameo 2. It was purchased about 3 years ago and sat unused on a shelf until about 6 months ago. I tried making one project and it was a disaster; so I shelved it, thinking I would eventually find someone who could give me lessons.

Enter Melody Thorton of South Wake Vinyl in NC. I met her at the beginning of this year and scheduled a beginner’s lesson with her. In under two hours she taught me the basics and I’ve been on a roll ever since.

The first project was these tumblers – one for me and one for my husband. My husband and I started an escape room business in January 2019 because it was the perfect way for us to showcase our strengths and work together. He is a highly creative game designer and idea person (right brain), and I am a very strong planner and executor (left brain). We often joke that between the two of us we make a whole brain, thus the name Whole Brain Escape was born.

These are a lot of fun and get a good laugh from people when they see them.

Just a quick post today to fulfill my daily goal. I saw this cookie jar (?) at a thrift store. I don’t know if this is some type of cartoon character, or what. Any ideas? Later this month I will be posting some other interesting thrift store finds!

Bags and purses are one of my favorite things to make. I have the perfect bag for almost anything. My favorites to make are roomy bags with lots of pockets and storage.

This first one is from a Quilts Illustrated a pattern. I can’t remember the fabric, but it is a lovely blue color with yellow accents. It’s just the right size for a handbag that carries a wallet, book, and a few other odds and ends.

This second one is a By Annie pattern. I love her patterns! I’ve made several of her patterns, but this is my favorite one so far. When I finished sewing the bag I used a tailor’s point press to help me press all the seams on the bag to give it a nice crisp look! The fabric is canvas weight from Melody Miller’s “Picnic” line. This is a very durable and versatile bag.

Hello friends! I’m participating in a 31 day blog challenge that starts today. I’m posting every day in December in the hopes of getting back into the habit of making patterns, tutorials, and sharing fun things related to sewing.

Over the past four years I’ve made some quilts, bags, stuffed toys, wool applique hangings, and learned to Zentangle. I also mastered my Cameo Silhouette and have been making personalized cups and other items.

Tomorrow, I’ll post some pictures of some of the things I’ve made recently.

For Sale – Radiant Folded Patchwork Star Pattern

The Straight Stitch – Sewing Advice

Need help getting out of a project rut? Are you trying to figure out how to reduce your stash? Need some advice on how to handle awkward sewing situations? The Straight Stitch is here to help! Email your questions to Keep It Thimble!